Chinese Textbook Bought in China Found in France? ... Caught by 18.8 Million Followers

Manipulated Video 'Exposed', Account Suspended

A famous Chinese influencer was found to have created and posted manipulated videos, resulting in sanctions from authorities and the closure of her account.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 27th (local time) the story of a woman using the name ‘Thurman mao yi bei’ online. She had 18.8 million followers on Douyin until mid-April, when she was penalized by the authorities in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province in eastern China.

Chinese influencer apologizing.
Photo by SCMP

Known by her real name 'Xu,' she and a colleague were investigated for posting two manipulated videos in February. On February 16, they posted a video showing a Chinese elementary school winter vacation homework textbook for first graders, found by a cleaner in a restaurant bathroom in Paris, France, with the protagonist named 'Qin Lang.'

Following this, the video showed purchasing pencils locally and completing the homework, with the message, "Qin Lang, I will fly to China right away and bring your homework." Then, a man living in Jiangsu Province, China, claimed online to be Qin’s uncle, attracting significant attention. However, he was revealed to be Xu’s colleague, involved in the fabrication.

In another video on February 19, Xu revealed that she had returned the homework to Qin’s mother. Afterwards, Xu showed screenshots of online chats with Qin’s mother, stating, "It ended with a happy ending."

However, netizens who suspected the story requested an investigation, and the Hangzhou police announced that her videos were false.

The state-run media CCTV reported that the videos were created by 29-year-old blogger Xu and her colleague Xue. Xu confessed to the police that she and her colleague fabricated the story to increase their follower count. They admitted to purchasing the winter vacation homework book for elementary students in China and then filming the videos in France.

She apologized for the manipulated videos, saying, "I feel deep remorse." She urged others not to fabricate or distribute manipulated content, using her case as a lesson.

[Photo by Douyin/SCMP]

Investigators said the widely circulated videos had a serious impact on the public.

Xu received an ‘administrative penalty.’ In China, administrative penalties are generally imposed on individuals or companies that threaten public order and cause negative social consequences. These penalties typically include warnings, fines, business license revocation, or detention for up to 10 days. However, the exact details of the penalty in this case have not been confirmed.

Additionally, she lost 440,000 followers at once due to this incident and subsequently had her account closed. Xu studied fashion design in France and worked as a designer there before returning to China in 2022. Since then, she has been active as a full-time blogger and gained fame over the past three years for her unique chatting style.